Grab yourself a coffee and catch up on today’s news in brief. It is packed with the latest deals, updates from the industry and everything you need to know in bite-size pieces.
Quote of the day: “Friday the 13th is still better than Monday, the whatever.” – Unknown
MGallery adds New Zealand property
Canterbury’s five-star Fable Terrace Downs Resort has been announced as the newest addition to the MGallery suite of luxury properties in New Zealand. Following a rebrand to Fable Terrace Downs Resort in early March, the iconic property joins the prestigious MGallery Hotel Collection and will now be officially known as ‘Fable Terrace Downs by MGallery’.
Fable Hotels & Resorts Operations Manager, Ronnie Ronalde, said the joint venture with MGallery will further elevate the guest experience. “We are thrilled to be joining the MGallery Hotel Collection and are especially pleased to be offering guests a range of unparalleled rewards through the through the Accor Live Limitless loyalty program,” Mr Ronalde said.
Accor Pacific CEO Sarah Derry said “We are delighted to be adding Fable Terrace Downs MGallery to our growing portfolio; it brings new opportunities for our people, loyalty members and guests.
“Expanding our luxury footprint with this incredible Resort will bring even more choice for our customers, and Fable Terrace Downs is a welcome addition to our other luxury MGallery properties. Tourism is critical to the economic growth of New Zealand and future job creation.”
Viking Mars the newest Viking Ocean Ship
Viking announced it has taken delivery of the company’s newest ocean ship, the Viking Mars. The delivery ceremony took place yesterday when the ship was presented at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy. The Viking Mars will now make her way to Valletta, Malta, where she will be officially named on May 17, 2022—Norwegian Constitution Day—by her ceremonial godmother, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon. The ship will then sail itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Northern Europe before repositioning at the end of the year for voyages around Australia and New Zealand.
Chairman of Viking Torstein Hagen said “As we celebrate our 25th anniversary and a year of important milestones for Viking, today we are very proud to welcome the newest ocean ship to our award-winning fleet. Lady Carnarvon has honoured us by serving as godmother to the Viking Mars, and we look forward to welcoming guests on board this beautiful new sister ship in the coming weeks.”
Coral Expeditions heads to Wallis and Futuna
On 16 December 2022, Coral Adventurer will cast off from Cairns on an epic journey of discovery to the remote islands of Wallis and Futuna, located 2,000 nautical miles into the South Pacific. With no fixed itinerary, the 21-night voyage sailing from Cairns to Auckland is a true blue-water expedition for only the most intrepid of explorers. Contested for centuries by the Tongans, English and French, these island outposts are volcanic island groups separated by some 200km of Pacific Ocean. Those who step ashore on these islands follow in the footsteps of ancient Fijian and Samoan traders, pioneering Dutch navigators, later English explorers and French missionaries.
Sunshine Coast hotel success with TripAdvisor
When it comes to success on the tourism stage, it would appear that Sunshine Coast hotels excel in being “small and cuddly”, having taken out top spots for Best Small Hotel, Best Romance Hotel and Best B&B in the 2022 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best. Perennial favourite small and cuddly hotel, The Falls Montville, won a swag of accolades, including Best Small Hotel in both the Australian and wider South Pacific categories (Bli Bli House was in the top 3 of both categories as well), Best Romance Hotel South Pacific (Bli Bli House Riverside Retreat was runner-up), 4th place in Best Small Hotels in the World, and 3rd place in the world’s Best Romance Hotels and 5th place in Best Mountain Lodges and Resorts World.
In addition, Maleny’s Blue Summit Cottages won the award for Best B&B in Australia, and was named 23rd in the world. Other Sunshine Coast accommodation to feature in the “Best of the Best” awards included Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat, and Elements on Coolum, which was voted 7th in the Best Hotel in Australia category.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO, Matt Stoeckel, said that the Sunshine Coast offered one of the most enviable ranges of high quality boutique accommodation in Australia.
“We have the perfect setting for luxury boutique hotels, B&Bs, lodges and self-contained accommodation, and the Hinterland – with its spectacular scenery – is where they have excelled,” said Mr Stoeckel.
